Mann Center Leads New Consortium on Academic Integrity, Plans Other New Initiatives

The Mann Center is leading the formation of a regional consortium on academic integrity, comprising colleges and universities in the Southeastern US. The consortium is part of the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) at Clemson University and will be formally launched during the inaugural Southeastern Regional Academic Integrity Conference at Samford in April.

This collaboration continues a long and productive relationship between the Mann Center and ICAI.  Most recently, Mann Center program manager Azalea Hulbert spoke at ICAI's annual conference in San Antonio in February 2013, sharing insights into the center's work to date, while Mann Center director John Knapp is a charter board member of the Rutland Institute for Ethics, where ICAI is housed at Clemson.

Over the next few months, the Mann Center plans to launch several other initiatives to promote academic integrity, releasing a series of video vignettes and implementing new programs for graduate and international students. Information on these initiatives will be available online.

Since 2011, the Mann Center has worked with faculty and students in Samford's schools to identify ways to reduce academic dishonesty; appointed a group of student leaders, the Academic Integrity Advocates, who help identify and plan opportunities for student-focused programming; and employed the center's successful Courageous Conversations and Better World Theatre programs to deliver impactful messages about academic integrity.

Lincoln Scholar Richard Carwardine Visits Samford, Delivers Annual Hodges Lecture

Noted Lincoln scholar Richard Carwardine, president of Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford, UK, and author of Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power, visited Samford University on February 18th and 19th. His visit was timely, as 2013 marks both the 50th anniversary of Birmingham's most violent civil rights struggles and the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

During his visit Dr. Carwardine sat down with Mann Center director John Knapp to discuss Abraham Lincoln and his legacy of leadership. Their conversation, part of the center's ongoing series of interviews with thought leaders on topics of current interest, is available below.

Dr. Carwardine joined a panel of Samford faculty to discuss Antebellum religious thought. The conversation, "'God's Institution' or Gross Injustice? Slavery and Religion before the Civil War," paid special attention to Christian perspectives on the injustices of slavery. Faculty panelists included Dr. John Mayfield (History), Dr. Joe Scrivner (Religion), and Dr. Jason Wallace (History). Before the discussion, the Mann Center hosted a special reception in collaboration with the Samford University Library, which presented a display of artifacts related to the university's early history.

The highlight of Dr. Carwardine’s visit was the 2013 A. Gerow Hodges Lecture in Ethics and Leadership for an audience of around 700 in Reid Chapel.  His topic, "Abraham Lincoln and the Challenge of Emancipation," focused on the moral issues faced by Lincoln, and his ability to lead effectively during the turbulence of the Civil War.

Healthcare Ethics and Law (HEaL) Conference to Feature Signature Mann Center Pedagogy

On April 12th Samford will host the annual Healthcare Ethics and Law (HEaL) Conference, "Marketplace Medicine and Conflicts of Interest." Featured speakers are Carl Elliott, M.D., Ph.D. and Leonard (Jack) Nelson III, J.D., LL.M. Dr. Elliott, a professor with the Center for Bioethics at the University of Minnesota, will also receive the 2013 Pellegrino Medal, Samford’s recognition of national leadership in healthcare ethics.  Mr. Nelson is a member of the faculty at Samford’s Cumberland School of Law. A panel discussion with faculty from Samford and UAB is also planned. A full schedule and registration information are available here.

As part of the conference, the Mann Center will facilitate an interactive afternoon session for practitioners, using its distinctive Better World Theatre pedagogy to encourage audience engagement with ethical questions. Student participants will present a short play, "Just a Problem of Time", then lead the audience in a discussion of the ethical issues involved. While this pedagogy has been used effectively in the schools of nursing and business, this will mark the first time that it has been used for a professional audience.